Le Ciel
by Sefie Arouet
Summary: The story of a huntress ... Sefie Arouet's pursuit for justice with the Six Black Wings.
1. Prologue

**

Le Ciel: Sefie Arouet's Story

**

* * *

**_Prologue_**

_

"Wrapped in the arms of a goddess lies,  
the power that will save the entire world  
from annihilation."

_

* * *

_"I never did believe in fate or destiny ... but now, I guess I have to give it the benefit of the doubt."_

* * *

"It's a girl, milady." The midwife announced as she cleaned and wrapped the infant with cloth. The baby had the clearest blue eyes that seemed to change shades according to her mood. The newborn also had such fair complexion, matching her mother's. The midwife now handed the child to the pale and exhausted yet delighted mother. It was exactly midnight and the full moon shone brightly through the window. A slight breeze rustled and blew through the window.

"What hath the gods named her ..." The midwife whispered as she formed intricate symbols in the air. She hummed a mystical tune and closed her eyes. As she hummed, the symbol she had drawn glowed visible. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. "Sefie ..." Thus, her name became Sefie Arouet, the daughter of Lady Sandrilene and Lord Tristan Arouet.

Lady Sandrilene looked at her husband, smiling and then gazed at her daughter and embraced her lovingly. Lord Tristan then asked the midwife, "Will she receive the christening?" The midwife took hold of a ceramic bowl with intricate patterns. It was filled with oil. "We shall see if the gods have a special purpose for her, milord." She chanted a spell as she formed a symbol on the now crying infant's forehead. The midwife waited for a few seconds and a symbol glowed, emanating an azure light and subsided. The midwife smiled. "It seems that the goddess of the wind granted your child her protection and strength. She then dipped her index finger into the bowl and christened the baby. As soon as the midwife had finished, she stood up, gathered her belongings. "It seems that my work here is done. Do you need anything else?" Lord Tristan smiled and shook his head. "Thank you for your services." The midwife beamed. "It was a pleasure to serve you both and I believe I can clearly state that your daughter is very special ... yes, very special indeed." She bowed and left.

The stars seemed to glow brighter than ever; somehow, they seemed to watch over the child. From a distant the goddess of the wind smiled and a breeze blew through the window to caress the sleeping infant in her mother's arms.


	2. Chapter 1: Darkness

**_Chapter I:   
Darkness_**

_(17 years after …)_

She sprinted into the forest. A thunderstorm was brewing and rain had been more frequent. Today, it was a light drizzle, accompanied by a slight breeze which seemed to embrace her. Spotting a tall, oak tree, she climbed up to get a better view. The rough bark rubbed against her back but she paid no attention to the irritating sting.

She brought her hand to rest on the weapon as she surveyed the forest floor for any sign of wildlife. Sefie sighed. She was starting to feel cold from the now heavy rain. The drops of rain pricked and taunted her to decide hastily in the situation. The downpour blurred her vision even more, but it couldn't hide a now permeating stench which smelled of rotten meat, sweat and dung. A chill ran down her spine and she knew it wasn't caused by the coldness of the rain. Trying to keep her eyes focused in the rain, she spotted a form on the ground. It groaned and crawled stealthily across the clearing. Sefie's eye's widened to see that the figure was a man … or had been a man. Its eyes were gouged out and its mouth hung open, blood dripping. The man had been slashed in his midsection. Blood and maggots oozed out, leaving a crimson trail.

Sefie could hardly breathe. Fear rose. She never expected to see this in the forest. She had never imagined such to be possible in such a place. Swiftly, she readied her crossbow with a silver arrow. She gripped her crossbow tighter and aimed for the undead man. With one swift motion, she released the arrow and pierced the zombie straight into his heart. It wailed and jerked back. Then, its head turned a full 360° then glanced upwards towards her. She felt her stomach lurch. The zombie was grinning hideously. She readied her crossbow again, and shot him on its head but it still moved forward, swifter than before. To her relief, it couldn't climb up the tree but she was stuck there.

_"The silver arrows didn't work at all."_ She thought, panicking. She tried a double strafe, but it just wailed, trying to reach for her. The stench was becoming unbearable and she felt nauseous. Trying to keep herself from losing consciousness, she grabbed one of her silver arrow and stabbed her thigh. White searing pain coursed through her body, clearing her head. _"What to do … what to do …" _

After a few seconds, she noticed the zombie looking away, distracted. It howled as it ran through the clearing. Silver light emanated came from behind the bushes, and enfolded the zombie, exploding its guts.

Sefie tried to climb down but ended up falling from the tree. She bit her lip, as she slowly tried to stand up, stumbling backward. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead, accompanied by the drops of rain. Deep in her mind, she just wanted to lay down and sleep on the forest floor but she had to know the thing that caused the zombie's final death.

A figure emerged from the bushes. Her vision was a bit blurry from the pain but she could distinguish a cloaked man quickly rushing towards her, but before she knew it, everything grew dark.


	3. Chapter 2: Zygreal Part 1

**Chapter 2A:  
Zygreal**

* * *

"Where am I?" She whispered. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the light, she discovered that she was in a hut and she was lying down on what seemed to be a makeshift bed made of straw and blankets. She felt a little lightheaded and there was still a slight sting from her thigh. She felt nauseous as she sat up, but she could distinguish a slight humming and the faint smell of bacon and eggs. Sefie flopped back down on the "bed".

"_Let's see … I'm in a strange hut … I'm hungry … and …_" Her eyes widened. She looked around and spotted her wet clothes being dried up across the room. She cursed. She was wrapped in a blanket and she didn't know where her crossbow was.

"So, you finally woke up."

She quickly glanced up to see a man. From the clothes he was wearing, he seemed to be a priest or at least, she thought he was. Then she remembered everything that transpired from before. The undead … the silver light … the figure … it must have been him who saved her.

"Were you the one who saved me?" She inquired, hesitating for a moment. The man laughed. "Sef, don't you recognize me?" She frowned. Sefie knew she had a _little_ problem remembering people's names and faces. She had … some sort of a … selective, short-term memory.

"I'm sorry, mister. I can't seem to remember you …" She whispered. He laughed again. "I see … I didn't expect you to remember me, imouto. You were only 3 when I left." Sefie looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean? I don't have any brothers." She replied. As far as she knew, she only had 2 siblings which were her younger sisters, Ketha and Kiha.

He sighed. "I'm Zygreal … your brother … " He ran his hand through his hair. "Look … I know this may be difficult for you to understand. Let's just say … I was exiled from our kingdom because of … plausible reasons …"

Sefie raised an eyebrow. He did resemble her. He had the same dark blue hair like his father. He also had her eyes … sky blue mixed with a tinge of green. He was probably the only person she knew who had the same color of eyes as hers … which scared her even more. Yes, she was scared. It's not like everyday some stranger would come up to you and say he was your older brother. But the unusual thing is, she felt a strange connection with him, an aura of some sort. She felt she could trust him somehow. She kicked herself mentally. She was nuts to even try to trust him. "_I mean, What he was saying right now is ridiculous._" She thought. She pursed her lips. "_Plausible reasons ... what in the world could that be?_"

"What in the world do you mean about plausible reasons?" Sefie demanded to know. He smirked. "Let's discuss this after you eat." He handed her some clothes. "Here, change first." He smiled and closed the door.

* * *

_to be continued ..._

* * *

Added Info: Zygreal is an online friend of mine from the Anime-Illusions guild, pRO ... he's an M.E. priest and a good friend of mine.

Sorry if it was a little hurried ... ; ... doing my homework while writing a fic ... tsk tsk.


End file.
